Actor and writer Stanley Tucci talks about What I Ate In One Year (and related thoughts) in his latest book. Here are my related thoughts. I read and enjoyed his earlier book, Taste. However, if you’re a fan of audiobooks, which I am not, I’d suggest you listen to Tucci read his book. I think it would be more enjoyable to listen to the book.
Beginning in January 2023, and ending early in 2024, Tucci goes through his days, relating what he ate, and who he ate it with. Sometimes, it was family. Sometimes, he ate by himself, standing in the kitchen. Often it was with other friends and family who visited in London, where he lives, or wherever he was in Europe or the United States. Although he talks about the food, includes recipes, and talks about restaurants, I enjoyed the conversations about family and friends the most.
And, several passages hit home because of my own life. I’ll have to share this sentence with my brother-in-law. Last weekend, I ate meals five times at my sister’s, where her husband, Kevin, is the cook. Kevin loves to cook for people. He sends home the best leftovers. And, the more people he can cook for, the happier he is. Tucci says, “Home-cooked food strengthens our bonds when we are together, keeps us connected when we are apart, and sustains the memory of us when we have passed away.”
Tucci’s first wife, Kate, died of cancer. At a restaurant, a widower came to him to say how much he and his late wife enjoyed Tucci’s show, “Searching for Italy”. He wanted to talk about his wife. Here are Tucci’s thoughts. “When someone you love dies, you absorb them. You take on their feelings and simultaneously experience life through their eyes and their heart as well as your own. In essence, you become them. This is not a conscious choice. It just happens. And it happens because one is not yet fully capable of accepting that person’s absence. It keeps them alive. Or at least it makes them less dead.” Twenty-some years after my father’s death, I still say, “Dad would enjoy this.” Some of the events in my life still trigger those thoughts and comments.
What I Ate In One Year is a thoughtful book. There are plenty of lists of food and recipes for foodies to enjoy. But, I enjoyed Tucci’s thoughts on life, family, and mortality. Through his own experiences, he has learned to appreciate what he has.
What I Ate in One Year by Stanley Tucci. Gallery Books, 2024. ISBN 9781668055687 (hardcover), 352p.
FTC Full Disclosure – Library book
